July 20th, 2010 · diet, news
Fish oil has been long known to help reduce the risk of heart failure and to promote brain health. And a new study shows that it can also promote breast health, too.
A new study, conducted by a research team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, investigated 35,016 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 76 with no history of breast cancer who were participating in the Vitamins and Lifestyle cohort study.
After six years of follow-up, 880 of these women had been diagnosed with breast cancer. However, those women who reported regularly taking fish oil supplements, which contain high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, were found to have a 32 percent reduced risk of invasive ductal breast cancer — the most common type of breast cancer.
Other ways to reduce your risk of breast cancer:
1. Eat more cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflower) – they contain a compound called sulforaphane which kills cancer stem cells and prevents new malignancies
2. Apple a day – keeps the doctor away because the phytochemicals within them inhibits mammary tumors. Just make sure you’re eating organic apples – conventional are loaded with pesticides.
3. Lose weight – studies show that losing body fat can reduce the risk of breast cancer. You can get started by eating more vegetables, lean protein, nuts and seeds, and fruits, and cutting back on refined foods, sugars and unhealthy fats.
Two great ways to get started losing weight:
Well Seasoned – my famous seasonal cleanse classes
Delicious Life Booty Camp – my group coaching program
Tags: cancer·nutrition·supplements·wellness
I’ve been on a healing journey over the past two weeks. The funny thing is that I didn’t realize that was what I was going on when I started out. It’s also part of why I have inadvertently been mostly offline for the past two weeks.
Let me explain…
The weekend before our Independence Day – the July 4th holiday in America, we were celebrating the wedding of two friends. The party was a weekend long fest that that was held just outside of the city at a rustic resort in a valley of a very green and mountainous area. As we drove to our destination, the buildings became shorter, the land was greener, and suddenly I realized I had no working technology at my fingertips.
No cell phone service.
No computer.
The following weekend was a long one because we took a couple of days off. Again, the same thing happened.
No cell phone service.
No WiFi.
No computer.
At some point during the second weekend, I turned my phone on to check (in vain) to see if I could get anything. And I must have left the phone on by accident, because by the end of the weekend, it was dead.
I have to admit that I freaked out a little bit in the beginning. What was I missing? What if I missed an important phone call or e-mail? What if someone needed to get in touch with me?
And two weekends in a row off – I haven’t had this much time off in about a year, so I was not used to relaxing fully. Yeah, I’m not kidding – I wish I was.
It took a day or so, but I finally started to relax when I realized that, well, I had no choice because there was nothing else to do.
And then finally… I was totally relaxed.
And you know what?
I’m sleeping better. I’m more calm. And while my back is a little stiff from camping, I’m breathing better than I usually do, too.
Then I found this article in the New York Times that talks about the healing power of nature. In studies in Japan, they found that people who took “forest baths” had better health stats than those who stayed in the city – lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rates and lower blood pressure.
Of course, the healing I feel could also be from not sitting still at a desk for 8 or more hours per day. Or from getting eye strain from staring at a computer or a small phone screen.
But the plants and trees do seem to heal in some unquantifiable way as well. The whole calmness of mind, the breathing of fresh air, and the slower pace makes me feel so good.
You don’t even have to go away to get healing on a regular basis. Just take time off to go to a park near you. In New York City, we have Central Park and the green ways that run down the Hudson on the West Side and the East River on the East side. Not to mention the many little green enclaves around town.
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I love your outfit.
Nice haircut.
Wow, you look fantastic.
I used to cringe when I heard anything remotely complimentary directed at me. That is, if I could even see it was for me – usually I was looking around to see who they were really talking to.
How many of you just blushed when you read those? C’mon now – I know a few of you were probably looking over your shoulder or thinking, “Who, me?”
If you’ve ever felt the same way, it’s time to change that thinking.
We all have beliefs about ourselves that get developed over the years, and they come from many different people and sources. We might develop our beliefs from what parents or teachers tell us, from our peers, from our colleagues, from friends or even from media. Who knows what influenced us originally? It doesn’t really matter.
What really matters – just because we believe something is true doesn’t make it so.
Your beliefs become the advertising in your mind that influences your decisions. Allowing negative beliefs to influence your behavior can be very destructive. Can you imagine how negative thinking might sabotage your efforts to lose weight or take better care of yourself? Isn’t it time to start changing this automatic programming and “advertise” to yourself what you really want?
So, how do you start accepting compliments as the truth? Simply start saying, “Thank you.”
It may feel uncomfortable at first. But it will make the other person feel good because you’re accepting their gift. And it will make you feel good because you reinforce within your mind that you really are beautiful.
Another way to change your thinking – use positive affirmations. Write up a list of positive affirmations about yourself and read them on a daily basis. Post them where you can see them every day and read them.
Read and repeat them – even if they don’t feel true to you. The more you repeat them, the more you will believe them, and the more they will become true for you.
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Like what I have to say? Wondering how you can start living a Delicious Life? Find out how I can help through a get acquainted phone session with me.
Tags: affirmations·mindfulness·mindset·self esteem
I watched Losing It with Jillian last night. She’s one tough trainer, but some people need that kind of coaching. What I like about her style is how she’s able to quickly break through people’s barriers by pushing the right buttons to get them to talk. Because half of what keeps people who are really stuck and unable to get motivated when they’re overweight has to do with burying feelings.
It seems like it’s so much easier to eat over your emotions instead of dealing with them. Until it’s not. And all of the people featured on the show have already hit their own personal “bottom” in order to reach out and call for help. And yet, even when they have Jillian up in their faces, they are overcome with fear and want to run away.
I’m not a huge fan of reality-style shows, but I’m glad that more of these nutrition and weight loss shows are on. I find it really inspiring to see people who are finally proving to themselves that they can overcome their perceived limits, breaking down false barriers that were holding them back from really living.
Tags: biggest loser·inspiration·Jillian Michaels·reality TV·weight loss
Our foods are not as safe as we think.
I know, it hurts to hear this, but you have to know about it.
It’s time to wake up. Ignorance is not bliss – it only keeps you sick, tired, unfocused, and overweight.
There are more studies showing that the chemicals that we are being exposed to through the plastics and household goods we use every day are contributing to developmental problems and endocrine disturbances. And now a study in the journal Pediatrics associates exposure to pesticides to cases of ADHD in the U.S. and Canada.
According to this article in Time:
The team analyzed the levels of pesticide residues in the urine of more than 1,100 children aged 8 to 15 years old, and found that those with the highest levels of dialkyl phosphates, which are the breakdown products of organophosphate pesticides, also had the highest incidence of ADHD. Overall, they found a 35% increase in the odds of developing ADHD with every 10-fold increase in urinary concentration of the pesticide residues.
Researchers note that children are getting pesticides in their system through their diet – from the fruits and vegetables that they are eating on a regular basis.
How can you limit your risk?
Eat more clean food: According to the Environmental Working Group, you can eat fruits and vegetables that have minimal exposure to pesticides. They have a great list of the dirty dozen and the clean 15 on their site. You can also eat more organic fruits and vegetables.
While organic may be more expensive in the short term, the long term costs of getting exposed to pesticides is far more costly.
Ban the plastics: Get rid of the old Tupperware, and the plastic water bottles. Get yourself a metal water bottle like the Klean Kanteen 
– it’s both environmentally friendly and healthier. Save the glass jars that you get from goods that you buy at the grocery store. Wash them well and use them as your food storage. They’re even good for carrying lunch to work.
Tags: adhd·autism·bad plastics·endocrine disorder·environment·Health·heart disease
I always wanted to do everything perfectly when I was a kid. I studied so that I would excel at school and practiced piano every day. I pushed myself hard and almost always achieved whatever I set out to accomplish.
But I have news for you: perfection is a myth. Everyone who works with me is perfectly where they should be in their health journey. Many people go through a process of taking one healthy step forward and two steps back.
It takes time to create new habits, especially when you are making big changes in your health and life. This is completely normal and healthy. If you’re trying to change your eating habits to lose weight, think about the process this way: you didn’t gain the weight overnight. You’re not going to lose it that way either. It will take some time for it to fall off you. Take each step to make it happen, be consistent, and it will.
You don’t have to do it perfectly. It is impossible. And trying for perfection can make you sick. It causes negative thoughts when you can’t accomplish everything that your overachieving self is trying to accomplish. The thoughts manifest as anger, anxiety, depression, and worse. Your stress can manifest into physical symptoms – hypertension, insomnia, and digestive disorders are just a few of them.
When you fail as a perfectionist, you fall apart – physically and emotionally. I used to fall apart on a regular basis. I was simultaneously anxious and depressed. Afraid of not being able to answer questions perfectly, I became afraid of speaking up and participating in classes. When major tests or papers were due, I would come down with a debilitating cold, flu or strep throat.
While not totally cured of my perfectionism, I’m much easier on myself these days. A lot of it has to do with the wonderful mentors and supportive friends and family that I have.
A mantra given to me by one of my mentors: “I am Perfect, Whole, and Complete.” It reminds me that no matter where I am, all is well.
If you had a mantra to overcome your tendency toward perfection, what would it be?
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Exercising outside can make you more than just fit – it can also give you a positive mental boost.
MSNBC reports that according to a study done by researchers at the University of Essex, even as little as five minutes of “green” activity such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming can make you feel better and boost your self esteem.
When you live in a city like I do, and you are always looking out on the bright white and gray of tall buildings and scrolling sidewalks, you start to crave green. Fortunately, there are plenty of parks around New York City, and a short train or bus ride can get you to greener environments.
If you live in New York City, there are plenty of workouts taking place outside in the warmer months. Some of my favorites include:
Kiki’s Traditional Tribal Fitness workout – takes place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Jackson Heights, Queens. A great trainer who’s very dedicated to his workout “family.”
Tai Chi and Yoga in Bryant Park – great free classes that run thoughout the summer months – starts in May. If you’ve never tried Tai Chi, I recommend it – doesn’t feel like a workout but talk about calm and balance after doing it.
If you know of more that you could recommend to me, please pass them on!
Tags: environment·exercise·workouts
Recently I realized that my desk files needed a good purging, so I got a cross-cut shredder to get rid of those papers that I didn’t want and couldn’t just throw out. I spent a couple of hours happily shredding documents and recycling the bits that were taking up so much precious space in our New York apartment.
Once I was done, my office felt like a new space. I had breathing room again. That pile of papers that had been sitting there for so long was finally gone. I could put away all of those new papers that had collected on top of my file cabinet (do they multiply while I’m not there?)
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. The familiar is comfortable. Eat at the same 2 places outside your office for lunch. Work out the same exact way, 5 times per week. Sleep late on Saturday mornings.
So much of what we carry around with us is habit – stuff that worked for a while, but doesn’t really work anymore. When we get rid of things in our lives that no longer serve us, we open ourselves up for new possibilities.
Some call it spring cleaning – I like to think of it as a recharging of your own energy.
You could clean out your files (like I did), get rid of old clothes that you no longer love, get rid of the junk food in your kitchen cabinets, or quit smoking or drinking diet soda on a daily basis.
Imagine the possibilities of having space in your desk drawers, uncluttered closets that hold only your favorite clothes, a pantry that stocks only the healthiest foods. How could that change your life right now?
What could you imagine giving up now that you used to think you always needed?
What would be helpful to get rid of in order to let new and good things into your life?
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